Power
by Ashleigh E. Stewart
Summary: Posessed, or remembering? Shahd no longer knows himself.


Power

By: Ashleigh Stewart

The birds were singing on quietly and beautifully that day. The sky was a merry shade of blue. A few white clouds dotted the sky. That didn't matter, though. It made the whole scene that much more full of wonder.

Shahd walked to the edge of the meadow. He looked back on his path and saw his peaceful, little village. The Village of the Sky Spirit. The temple stuck out the most out of all the pure white buildings. It was beautifully designed and built by masters. It took nearly ten years to design and construct, but they did it. Some how they did it, all for the Sky Spirit…

Shahd turned away from the sight. He now faced a dense forest. The people who built his village made sure to put it directly in the middle of the meadow so the people could gaze at the sky clearly, but still be surrounded by nature. After all, the Sky Spirit's mother was the goddess of nature and the living.

Shahd had come to the edge of the meadow to pray. He didn't know what it was, but he just couldn't pray in the temple. This place just seemed to call to him. It calmed him.

Shahd knelt down and put two fingers to his lips. He opened his mind to pray to the great Sky Spirit and all the other gods and goddesses willing to listen. For a moment, crystal, blue water washed over his mind. His muscles relaxed and he sighed, concentrating.

Crackling laughter boomed in his mind, interrupting his meditation. He opened his eyes. The tree in front of Shahd seemed to be expanding. A hand pushed its way out of the bark and reached for him. The wood cracked and dropped to the ground, turning to ash and fading away into nothingness. Next came a head, legs, and a body, slowly breaking the bonds with the tree.

It was a woman. She had pale skin tinted to an almost green color, the same tint as her dark wicked eyes. She wore gold chains in her dull, black hair. On those chains were bronze leaves that almost looked dead, though they were metal. Her bracelets wrapped all the way up her arms. They formed the heads of snakes who's eyes pierced into your very soul. Her blood red lips formed a smile. Her eyes danced with wicked amusement.

"Look at you, such a goodie-goodie. Praying in seclusion. So nice. You even have the proper get-up. White tunic...... Blue trim. Yes, you certainly belong to the Sky Spirit. I wonder why my sister hasn't put you to work yet..... Or at least told you....." The being laughed. She started to glow silver.

Shahd couldn't believe his eyes. He'd never seen the likes of her before. What was she? Immortal? Lesser goddess or even spirit?

"Who ar-" The woman grabbed his wrist, cutting him off with her hand.

"I don't reveal myself lightly, boy. Don't talk. The only thing you need to know right now is that you can be of use to me." The being started to walk into the tree. Her skin turned to bark as she fused with the tree and went deeper into the plant.

Shahd's mind raced. What was happening? How was he of use to anyone? No one respected him back in the village. She smiled as a confused expression fell upon his face. Were these to be his final moments?

Shahd felt his skin start to dissolve and mold with the tree. His heart raced and it seemed as if a rock was dropped on his chest. An invisible force pushed him into the tree, without it he would be half way to the village by now. His hands started to glow green.

All was black around Shahd. The darkness seemed to move in patterns, creating the illusion that it had a sort of texture. Shahd tried to reach out to see if anything was in his path, but he possessed no arms. He had no particular shape. His sight was gone. The only way he was able to sense the darkness was by a trick a blind priest had taught him long ago. Now that trick had finally come in handy.

"Time to put you to use, boy. Let's see how you do after all these years of sleeping blindness." Shahd felt something flow out of his body. It shocked his indefinite form. The substance was cool to the touch and it seemed like it sought to do good, but it knew it wouldn't.

The blue sky was turning gray as Shahd slept in the tree. A powerful voice boomed in the Sky Spirit's village. It wasn't human. It was soothing and commanding at the same time. It told the villagers to take shelter. The Sky Spirit knew something was coming, and she did not wish it to harm her people.

Magic oozed from the tree that held Shahd captive. The emerald green dusk was pulled into the ground, making it shimmer. The magic caused sprouts to grow. Trees came up in seconds. Flowers bloomed ever time you blinked. Slowly the magic crept toward the peaceful village. Breaking the ground and scattering plants all the way. The most violent and beautiful plants were saved for last. Shahd didn't know what he was doing.

Buildings were crushed. People screamed. Blood was shed. Lives were lost. Newly grown trees were knocked over by the incoming storm and powerful winds that came along with it. Roses the color of fresh blood grew and tripped terrified people running from a falling tree with their vines. The thorns on these flowers scratched their skin away, and some contained poison. The poison was saved for only the high priests and priestesses that were unlucky enough to stumble upon them.

Shahd heard it. The buildings, the blood, the dying screams of the ones he loved. What had happened? Was this that woman's doing? Shahd opened his eyes. He was no longer in the tree, but lying on the ground on the outskirts of the meadow. The sky swirled in intricate patterns to hard form a human to follow. The wind made him shiver. Shahd looked at his stinging hands, and found little green sparkles dancing around his fingers. Shahd's heart sank. This was magic. He looked toward his village, dreading what he would see.

The village was in ruins, bodies lay scattered in the streets or under toppled buildings and crumbled rock. Shahd looked away. Tears clouded his vision. His hands shaped fists. He pounded the ground beneath him as he wept. Shahd knew this was his doing. But how? Why?

"Excellent work, boy, excellent. You did very well, considering you were so much out of practice. Oh, don't worry, you'll get over the lives you take." The woman laughed as she came into his field of vision. Anger boiled inside Shahd. He needed answers, and he needed them _now_.

The sky was now black. Shahd could barely see his hands and feet as he got up. Lightning struck. Someone above yelled. Another woman appeared out of a stroke of lightning. Shahd could barely see her features, it was so dark, and he continued to cry, blurring the little vision he had. She glowed white as well, but with anger or with power, Shahd did not know.

"This time, my sister, you have gone too far." The Sky Spirit's blue eyes flashed. It began to rain. "You have murdered my people on my soil, using our own brother." Shahd's heart stopped. Brother?

The Underworld Spirit laughed. The grounds shook. "Oh come now, sister dear, you know how I am. I couldn't help myself. He was so helpless, and with that surplus of magic he still wields, there was no way he could fail." The Spirit smiled viscously.

"He still has the same blood flowing through his veins. He's still our brother.'

"That's exactly why I used him. He used to be so powerful… It was fun to finally be one in control. You can understand, can't you big brother?" Her wicked smile widened. She looked upon Shahd with her evil, dancing eyes.

Shahd couldn't think. His mind couldn't seem to sort out the loads of information swirling around in his mind. What were they saying?

The Sky Spirit looked with pity upon the boy. He was only 16. He had endured this sacrifice for 16 years, for their own good. Shahd deserved to be returned to his throne again.

"Shahd, my brother, thank you." The Sky Spirit was making him more confused than he believed was necessary. He had just killed her village, why was she thanking him?

The Sky Spirit turned to her sister. "You, despicable creature,---"

"You flatter me, sister."

Lightning flashed, more powerful than usual. The wind picked up and thunder roared. Shahd felt a prick of pain in his side. What was this?

"_Don't interrupt. __You have been banished for abuse of power and treason. You turned against me and our six siblings in the Great War. You were to stay in the Underworld Realms for all eternity because of your actions. Now you have gone farther than even the High Goddess could have predicted. You've murdered my people. You will die. You will give Shahd his realm and power back. You will suffer."_

_ At this point Shahd didn't know what to think. All he could gather from this now was that he had to be a god of some sort. It gave him a headache to even try to make sense of any of this._

_ The banished Spirit looked at her elder brother. "All I wanted to do at this point was to cause Sky pain. Finding you like this was a bonus. I couldn't last much longer in the Underworld. It's horrible down there; you wouldn't believe it… I want to die. So take your power, Shahd, god of weather. I've accomplished what I set out to do. My time here is done." Shahd's banished sister reached out her arm toward him and opened her palm. Sparkling, green dust raced toward him. It circled and danced about him, creating a tornado-like shape around him. Slowly it sank into his skin, causing Shahd to shiver. The dust kept pouring out of the Spirit's hand. It never seemed to end…_

_ Shahd couldn't breathe. He was a god? A god...a god…god of…of weather? Shahd's bright red tunic turned red. Embroidered onto it with golden thread were clouds, suns, rain, and other symbols of the great four seasons, replacing the delicate blue patterns that he once wore with pride. A staff appeared in his hand that held a crystal gem. It glowed green and pierced through the black noon._

_ "I'm a……. a god?" Shahd could barely speak. His mind raced. This was happening all too fast._

_ The Sky Spirit smiled warmly at her long lost brother. "Yes, during the Great War, you saved us. Laembeck, god of the Underworld, was gaining power. He unleashed an attack to be rid of us upper beings so he could rule with his followers. You cast a spell and sacrificed yourself to save us. You were reborn as a human boy and Carleye," she pointed to their banished sibling, quickly fading into the darkness, "our sister, received your power. She joined Laembeck and used them for evil as you cried in a priestess's arms. She was banished to his realms for this and her powers were locked up. Somehow she got them back and has killed my people. But now they are yours again. I never got a chance to thank you." The skies began to lose its gray color. The wind died down. The lightning continued to flash and the thunder rumbled._

_ "I did that… I saved the gods?"_

_ Carleye smirked; as the last droplets of power were returned to Shahd, she disappeared. The black clouds faded out of sight, along with the wind's bloody howl. There was nothing left of her._

_ The Sky Spirit bowed her head and turned to face her brother. She wore a pure white dress with light, blue thread embroidered into it. Her blond hair was left down and curled at the ends; an intricate tattoo decorated her left arm. She wore many bracelets and necklaces adorned with diamonds and stones of the other world that seemed to hold their own glowing light. However, her fingers did not hold and rings on them. She was bare foot and seemed as if she was light enough to float. The Sky Spirit was beautiful. "Return to your kingdom, Shahd, god of Weather, my beloved brother." _

_Shahd squeezed his staff harder. The carved wood fit perfectly into his hand. Suddenly, the world he knew dissolved around him. He saw the Sky Spirit smile proudly at him. It was gone. Shahd sat on his throne a long lost hero, returned home at last._


End file.
